Rail-fastener.



, G. PORTER. RAIL FASTENER.' I APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 11. 1909.

954,465. l Pt ante d Apr. 2. 1910.

Q the general surface of the 'fish plate. By

interfere with or contact the flanges of the "the fish plate at such oints where the strain ..or wear is diminishe erence will be um run STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE PORTER, OF NEW MARKETQIENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO ALFRED P. BAMBERGER, OF NEW CUMBERLAND, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL-FASTENER.

$54,455. Specification of Letters Patent Patented Apr. 12, 1916.

Application filed November 11, 1909. Serial No, 527,418.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gronen PORTER, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of New Market, Fairview township, in the county of York and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new i and useful Improvements in Rail-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway tracks and particularly to a rail joint and fislrplate combined which fish plate is designed to retain the rails in position 'while at the same time bracing said rails on opposite sides in order to prevent spreading thereof;

A still further object of this invention is to produce a'rail joint in the form ofa fish plate and chair having novel means for 'attaching the said fish plate to the cross ties. through the medium of spikes, the heads of which are prevented from projecting above reason of the arrangement just mentioned, the heads of the securing spikes will not car wheels.

Furthermore, an object of the invention is to provide means whereby the spikes: exert a camming action on the. said fishplate in order that the tendency of the said pressure will be to force the fish plates against the rails. v

A further object of the invention is to produce a fish plate havin proper thickness to insure strength an durability at the points of greatest strain and wear and in reducing the thickness or dimensions of Withthe foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the details fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, refhad to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification wherein'like characters denote corresponding parts in the several views, in WhlOh- Figure 1 illustrates a view in perspective of a fish plate applied to, the ralls of a track; and Fig. 2 illustrates a transverse sectional view thereof.

In these drawings 4: denotes the cross tie,

duplicated on each side of the rails and therefore a description of one of them will be understood as app-lying to both of those illustrated.

. The base 7 of each plate has a longitudinally disposed shoulder, 8 near the outer edge of the bottom surface which is designed to engage the edge of the base flange of the rail. The upper surface of the base tapers toward the'edge as shown at 9, forming a camming surface which is designed to be engaged by the heads of the spikes 10 which spikes are of course anchored to the cross ties.

The function-of the beveled surface of the base is two-fold in that it causes the engagement of the head of the spike of a sulficient portion of the base without allowing the head of the spike to project upon the upper surface of the base and the tapered portion also acts as a cam as heretofore indicated which has a tendency to force the plate inwardly against the rail. As shown in the drawings, the base is reduced in thickness toward the inner edge where the said plate contacts the web of the rail and I do not want to be restricted to any par ticular degree of thickness of the parts of vention will be accomplished by reducing the base and thickness toward the inner edge regardless of the degree.

Each plate has a flange 11, which is inheight to engage the rail at the junction of the head, and web. By reason of the relation of parts just indicated, the flange acts as a prop to prevent-sidewise movement ofthe rail in addition to acting as a fish plate for securing the meeting ends of the rail. The flange is provided with a series of apertures 12 designed to receive bolts 13 which bolts pass through the two flanges and in the webs of the rails. From an inspection yond the flange thus forming a head 14 which bears against the sidesg'of the webs of the rail at the junction of the webs and base flanges. Such arrangement of parts further in assembledmelation.

7 "that I do not deslre, to'be limited with respectto and 5 and 6 the abutting rails shown se- 1 1 Q-L l-M plqn Eek nlatps are While I have stated the dimensions of the nlatefiI nevertheless;

the said base, as the carrying out of my inclined toward the head and is of sufficient coinciding apertures in of the drawing, it Wlll be seen that the base extends slightly be insures a rigid structure when the parts are have found in v practice that with rails now -20 the web and head.

2. In a rail fastener, a fish plate having a' commonly used may employ fish plates with a base l inch in thickness near the 'outer edge where the taper begins and byreducing the. thickness 5 .of the base toward 'the flange,the thickness of the said base at the junction of the flange and base may be' it; inch; These dimensions are simply given as, suggestive of the proper proportions and dimenslons and. in practice 10 they will usually :be found satisfactory.

1[ In a rail fastener, a fish plate having .a

' from the 'base near its 'inneredge ,and adapted to engage a railat the junction of base, tapering toward its inner edge from a thickiened'portion rising substantially perpendicularly from a portion of the base in- 25 termediate of its outer edge and an aper tured flange, said flange risin at an incline from the base near its inner e ge and adapt ed to engage a rail at the junction of the web and head, a-'ca'm4f0rmed by the taper-near.

-tudinally of the base on the under surface abruptly thickened portion intermediate of.

the outer edge of the base and an upstanding flange, said flange being perforated andbemg inclined toward the web of the rail, a camming surface extending outwardly from said abruptly thickened portion, and a rib extending longitudinally-of the'base, on the under side thereof. v v

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto affixed my witnesses.

GEORGEPORTER.

Witnesses:

ALFRED P. BAMBER'GER, E. M. HELM,

signature in the presence of two 7 

